Printing press cylinder and method of preparing the same for the printing operation



v I A m 21, 1936.

v F. SWENSON 3 9 PRINTING PRESS CYLINDER AND METHOD OF PREPARING THE SAME FOR THE PRINTING OPERATION Filed Feb. 15, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS Apwl 21 1936. SWENSON 2,037fi3 PRINTING PRESS CYLINDER AND METHOD OF PREPARING THE SAME FOR THE PRINTING OPERATION F1166. Feb. 15, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. J lm Jwmmv ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 21, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PRINTING PRESS CYLINDER AND METHOD' OF PREPARING THE SAME FOR THE PRINTING OPERATION Application February 15, 1935, Serial No. 6,615

Claims. (01. 101-4013) My invention relates to a new and improved printing press cylinder, and to a new and improved method of preparing the same for the printing operation.

One of the objects of my invention is to improve a small printing press of the type which is used for printing circular letters, imitation typewritten letters or the like. This type of printing press is generally known as the multigraph.

Another object of my invention is to improve ,a printing press of the type which has a printing cylinder, in which printing devices, such as slugs or the like are mounted, and which is shown in U. S. Patent No. 1,574,673 issued on February 23, 1926 to McCarty.

Another object of my invention is to improve a press of this type, so that the outer or printing surfaces of the slugs or other printing elements, will be in proper relationship to the axis of rotation of the cylinder, so that the outer or printing faces of said elements shall follow a truly circular outline, which is concentric with the axis of rotation of the printing cylinder.

Another object of my invention is to provide a simple and efficient method for truing the printing surfaces of the printing elements, so that the effective printingsurface of each element will be at the same distance from the axis of rotation of the printing cylinder.

Other objects of my invention will be set forth in the following description and drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment thereof.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a printing cylinder to which my invention is applied.

Fig. 2 is a sectional View on the line 22 of Fig. -1.

r Fig. 3 is a sectional view, through the axis of rotation of the printing cylinder.

Fig; 4 is a detail sectional View, showing the slugs or other printing elements, before they have been adjusted into final printing position.

' Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing one of the bearings for the holding device for the slugs or other printing elements.

Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the tool which is used for tightening the holding member.

Fig. '7 is a perspective view of the tightening roller.

Referring to Fig. 1, this shows a printing cylinder of any suitable or conventional type. This cylinder is provided with end flanges 2 and 2a. The inner or adjacent faces of said flanges 2 and 2a are provided with circular grooves-l I, one of said grooves being shown in Fig. 1. The device shown in Fig. 1 issymmetrical, so that any part which is shown at one side thereof is also present at the other side thereof.

The printing cylinder I has printing elements S located upon its outer surface. These printing elements S may be slugs which may be made by 5 any suitable type of machine. Said slugs may be of the type shown in U. S. Patent No. 1,574,673 issued on Feb. 23rd, 1926 to McCarty. However, I do not wish to be limited to any particular type of slugs or printing elements of any kind.

The slugs S are separated by tapered filler members F. These filler members F have teeth [0, and said teeth ID are located in the grooves ll of the flanges 2 and 2a. The taper of each filler member F corresponds to the radii of the printing cylinder, the object being to have the printing elements S held in true radial position. That is, the front and rear faces of each flller member F are aligned with the corresponding radii.

After the slugs and their filler plates or members have been assembled upon the surface of the cylinder I, they are clamped into position by means of a clamping or holding member l2. As shown in Fig. 7, this clamping or holding member I2 is in the form of a cylinder or roller, having recesses 24 in its outer periphery. Said roller I2 is integral with hearing ends 15 and M. The bearing end I 5 is of smooth and cylindrical contour. The bearing end M has longitudinal and spaced teeth. The axis'of the member l4 coincides with the axis of the member l5. The

common axis of the members l4 and I5 is spaced from the axis of the roller l2. The roller I2 is therefore eccentric with respect to the bearing ends l5 and M.

The smooth bearing end I5 is located in a U-shaped bearing l6, and this hearing has a pin which can be located in one of the holes IQ of the flange 2a, in order to make the device adjustable. The pin of the bearing member I6 is the same as the pin iii of the bearing member 11, in which the toothed member I4 is located.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 5, the bearing member I1 is provided with a pawl or click 20, which is upwardly urged by means of the compression coil spring 2|, which is shown in Fig. 2.

A guide plate 31 is connected to the under side of the bearing H. The shank of the click 20 is provided with an extension 32, and this is guided in the space 33 between the legs of the plate 3i. The shank of the click 20 passes through a suitable guide opening in the plate 30, and said shank is bent so as to form the ex- 55 tension 32. The click 2!] is therefore guided for up-and-down movement in the bearing l1, and the extension 32 prevents any turning of the click 20.

As shown in Fig. 1, the openings of the bearings I6 and I! are almost tangential to the cylindrical surface of the printing drum or printing cylinder I, so that when the member I2.is

turned so as to clamp the assembled slugs and spacers, said member l2 .does'not'move out of said bearings.

After the slugs and spacers F have been assembled, the tool T is inserted into one of the recesses 24, and the roller |2-isturned, until it clamps the assembled slugs and spacers. The click or pawl 20 holds the roller 12 in the'clamping position. However, by exerting sufficient force by means of the tool T, themember-l2 can be turned to the inoperative positionpso as to permit the release of the slugs and the spacer members. The body of the'tool T can be made from cold rolled steel, and said body is provided with recesses which can be formed by means of 'a boring'operation. Pins 4|, made of hardened'steel, are inserted into said recesses, by means of a drive fit or the like. This makes it possible to use hardened pins, without making the entire tool out of hardened steel.

The axes of the recesses 24 are perpendicular to the surface of the clamping cylinder l2.

A sheet of relatively soft and yieldable material R is provided upon the surface of the printing cylinder, and the inner ended the slugs andofthe filler or spacer elements are located upon the outer surface ,of the sheet of yieldable material B. This can be made of pure gum rubber, and it'may be made quite thin. Its thickness may be 0.020 inch, although said thickness may be varied.

The clamping member. I2 is turned to the operative or clamping position, while the slugs and their filler or spacing elements are'in the general position indicatedin Fig. 4. It is impossible to make these slugs of uniform height. Hence, inithe-ordinary printing press, it isdifficult to secure aproperimpressionby means of said slugs; because their printing surfaces are at different distances from the axis of rotation of the'printing cylinder.

According to the improved method, I utilize a hammer member 3, fortruing the effective printing surfaces of the slugs. Said hammer member 3 is'provided with .a top surface 4. Said hammer member 3 is also provided with flanges 5 and 5a; Said flanges 5 and 5a are provided with undercuts 6, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. Hence saidhammertmember 3 may be slid upon the flanges 2 and 2a. Likewise, if the head 4 of the hammer. member ,3 is, struck with a hammer, themovement ofthehammer member 3 towards'the axis of:rotation of the'printing cylinder I, is limited by means of the undercuts 6'. For'example, Fig. 4 shows the'undercuts 6 slightly spaced from the adjacent flange of the cylinder, and Fig... 3 shows said undercutsin full contact with said flange.

After the slugs and their spacer elements have been.v roughly assembled, the hammer member 3 is-placed upon .the cylinder, in the general posi tion indicatedinFig. 4. In this position, each of the edges ,E .ofisaid hammer member 3 should belocate-dbetween theedges of a slug. When the ,flangej'is now struck a sharp blow with ahammer, the hammer member 3 is moved inwardly, and only in a radial direction. The

movement of the member 3 continues until it reaches the position shown in Fig. 3. The inner surface of the member 3 is truly cylindrical, and it corresponds accurately to the desired contour of the printing elements, The member R is sufficiently yielding in order to permit oversized slugs or printing elements to ..be. moved inwardly, until the outer or printing surfaces of said slugs or printing elements, correspond accurately, to the desired cylindrical printing surface. The hammer member 3 is then moved so as to contact with a fresh series of. slugs, and it is again given a blow, so as to move said .hammer member 3 inwardly. The-hammer member 3 is used only to move the slugsv inwardly, in a radial direction or directions.

The clamping member I2 permits the inward or radial movement of the respective slugs while clamping said slugs with sufiicient tightnessso as to retain them in their final adjusted position.

Fig. 2 shows the inner cylindrical surface of the hammer member 3.

I have shown a preferred embodiment of my invention but it is clear that numerous changes and omissions could be made without departing from its spirit.

I claim:

1. A printing cylinder having a yieldable surface member, and printing type elements located on said cylinder and disposed radially relative to said cylinder, the inner ends of at least some of said printing elements being partially imbedded in said yieldable member, an eccentric pivoted to said cylinder and exerting a locking pressure which is substantially tangential relative to said cylinder.

2; In combination, aprinting cylinder having a yieldable surface member, slug members and spacing members located upon the outer surface of said surface member, an eccentric pivoted to said cylinder for holding said slugs and spacing members in position upon said outer surface, at

least some of the inner ends of said slugs be- P ing imbedded in said yieldable surface member, said eccentric directly abutting one of the members'which are located on said outer surface.

3. In combination, a printing cylinder having yieldable surface means, slug members and spacing members located on the outer surface of said surface means, holding means for clamping said slugs and spacing elements in position,

said holding means comprising an eccentrically mounted roller pivoted to said cylinder and means for holding said roller in clamping position, the inner ends of at least some of said slugs being imbedded in said yieldable surface means, said eccentric directly abutting one of the members which are located on said outer surface.

4. A method of preparing a printing cylinder which has yieldable surface means, with printing elements for purposes of printing, which consists-in adjustably locking said elements with the cylinder, and then moving said elements inwardly and in a radial direction while they are yieldably locked to the cylinder, until the effective printing surfaces of said slugs are substantially equi-distant from the axis ofthe cylinder, by exerting pressure upon said printing surfaces.

5. A method of preparing aprinting cylinder which has yieldable surface means, with printing slugs for purposes of printing, which consists in adjustably locking said slugs to the cylinder, and then moving said slugs inwardly and in a radial direction While they are yieldably locked to the cylinder, until the effective printin suriaces of said slugs are substantially equidistant from the axis of the cylinder, said slugs being moved inwardly by a hammering operation,- which is exerted successively on groups of said slugs.

FRANK SWENSON. 

